Species library › Tillandsia › Tillandsia flabellata
Other Little published: much of this is inferred from related species

Tillandsia flabellata

An epiphytic bromeliad from southern Mexico and Central America, grown for its fan of flattened, bright red (sometimes green) flower spikes above a rosette of narrow, soft, green to reddish leaves. It is a green-leaved, less water-thrifty Tillandsia than the silvery xeric types, so it wants more humidity, more frequent watering and less sun. Two varieties are recognised, and many cultivars and hybrids circulate in the trade.

Tillandsia flabellata
Photo: Timm Stolten, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows on trees (epiphyte)

Where it grows wild

An epiphyte on trees in humid forest. The sources consulted give no detailed habitat notes; by its soft, sparsely scaled leaves and its range it belongs to the mesic Tillandsias of montane oak and cloud forest rather than dry scrub, but this is an inference.

No elevation data were found in the sources consulted and GBIF has no usable wild records. Its range suggests mid-elevation montane forest, but that is unconfirmed.

Mexico: Veracruz, Oaxaca, ChiapasGuatemalaEl SalvadorHondurasNicaragua

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.